7th World Conference on Marine Biodiversity (WCMB 2026)
The 7th World Conference on Marine Biodiversity (WCMB 2026) — themed “The marine biodiversity insights we need, for the ocean we want” — is organized by the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) and endorsed as a UN Ocean Decade event. Taking place a little over halfway through the Decade, it is an opportunity to take stock of ongoing actions and evaluate what remains to be tackled.
On the opening day, Tuesday, 17 November , two sessions will showcase the work of the Marine Biodiversity Observation Network (MBON) (session 7.1) and the Marine Life 2030 Ocean Decade programme (session 1.1), two initiatives central to strengthening coordinated biodiversity observation worldwide.
MBON Europe
The Marine Biodiversity Observation Network for Europe (MBON Europe) will spearhead coordination of active monitoring of marine biodiversity by organisations in Europe.
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OBIS — Ocean Biodiversity Information System
The global open-access database for marine biodiversity — search, map, and download tens of millions of species occurrence records standardized to Darwin Core.
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UN Ocean Conference Lisbon 2022
MBON joined partners at UNOC Lisbon 2022 for a side event on integrating marine life observations into indicators for conservation, restoration, and sustainable development.
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UN Ocean Conference 2022
MBON participated in events surrounding the UN Ocean Conference 2022, advancing Marine Life 2030 and ocean decade commitments for global biodiversity observation.
Read storyInternational Ocean Data Conference
MBON contribution to the International Ocean Data Conference: the OBIS we need for the ocean we want.
View detailsGEO Virtual Symposium 2020
Essential Ocean Variables for sustained observations of marine biodiversity and ecosystems, presented at the GEO Virtual Symposium.
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